


Windows to the Soul: Seeing into Your Soul

by Catclaw



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Past Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-07-15
Updated: 2005-07-15
Packaged: 2017-12-08 21:07:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/766012
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catclaw/pseuds/Catclaw
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the Sentinel Fic-a-Thon 2005.  Prompt was: government (or some other organisation) find out about Jim's senses.  So enter one super special Agent Sandburg...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Windows to the Soul: Seeing into Your Soul

**Author's Note:**

> If the speed at which their relationship moves irritates you as much as it did my beta, I apologise, all I can say was it was the pull of the bond...

_You see him… and you want him_  
All this time you’ve been hiding  
Now’s your chance to show him  
\- Kyle in Smallville 

The agent stared at the file that his stepfather had sent him. It was unbelievable. If what he was reading was true then the man was an organic crime lab. He leafed through the pages; unable to believe that real Sentinels still existed. A brief flash of anger flared inside him, the man he laughingly referred to as dad had pulled him away from his dream, away from his bachelors, when he was close to achieving that part of his vision. And all because Lee had decided that, as an accident during his last mission had left him unable to be an official CIA agent, his ‘son’ should join law enforcement. How Brackett had ever got that idea past his wife was anyone’s guess. Another ripple of anger, this time mixed with disgust, traced its way down his spine. He hated the fact that Brackett insisted upon calling him son.

Ignoring his feelings towards the man his mother married, he returned his attention to the manila folder in front of him. He gasped as he turned the page and found himself facing the piercing blue eyes of one Detective Ellison. Shutting the file almost immediately, he leant back and considered what he had just read. Ellison’s career choices certainly fit the bill of a Sentinel, the protective instincts inherent within a Sentinel’s genetic make-up leading him into joining the military and then the police force. The time alone that he spent in Peru after his chopper crashed, that period of isolation, was definitely enough to make his dormant senses come online.

It certainly explained why Ellison had solved so many cases. The agent wanted to see this man, work with him, but he knew that if he did he would be playing right into Brackett’s hands. The bastard had sent him this information for a reason and it sure as hell wasn’t out of any academic curiosity. A curiosity of his that his stepfather knew would be sparked by sending him Ellison’s file. A voice in the back of his head told him that that wasn’t the only reason that working with Ellison would be a bad idea.

But before he could begin to deal with the other reason the door to the Captain’s office opened, causing him to jump. Her shrill voice rang out, calling his name and beckoning him inside.

*

Detective James Ellison stormed out of the office and over to his desk. Already used to the detective’s volatile nature, his colleagues gave him a wide berth. It was the perfect end to a perfect week. Ellison scowled, he hated working with the Federal Bureau of Investigations, but it seemed that the agent had requested him specifically. It always made him nervous when he was asked for, and working with the Feds always reminded him of Carolyn. Pain flared briefly in his chest, memories of his late wife momentarily flooding his senses.

Simon had only been able to give him the bare bones of the assignment; a long list of crimes, including prostitution, drugs and the smuggle of illegal weaponry, all of it tracing back to the same person, known only as Trx. Apparently, the Feds had recently been given information by a supposed member of the Les Pauls, the organisation that this Trx headed. Jim had to give the man credit, nothing was known about his identity other than the pseudonym that his lackeys used when talking about him amongst themselves. The rest of the information was going to be given to him by the Fed, one Agent Sandburg, tomorrow.

By the next morning Jim’s dark mood had not abated, he’d spent the night locked within a recurring nightmare of Carolyn’s last moments. The Sentinel bowed his head, still mourning the loss of his Guide. And along with the grief was the guilt that it was his fault that she was dead.

From inside his office, where he waited with the Federal agent, Simon Banks observed his friend’s posture and knew what he was thinking. He understood that Jim would never truly get over the loss of his wife, but he had hoped, as had the rest of the Major Crimes Unit that it would become easier for Jim to deal with. It was on days like these, when Jim’s normal stoic appearance was broken, that he knew the pain hadn’t lessened.

Still concentrating on Jim as he whispered Sentinel-soft words of encouragement, Simon missed the look of recognition within the agent’s eyes. Jim’s head rose slowly as he looked towards the Captain’s office and smiled slightly. Nodding his head in gratitude, he made his way to the office in preparation of the beginning of the assignment and in the hopes that it would be over quickly.

Entering the office, Jim blinked in disbelief as the sight of the agent. The kid couldn’t be older than twenty. He was a lot shorter than Jim, hell, he was shorter that most of the cops that Jim had worked with. His long auburn hair was tied at the nape of his neck; he looked more like a narcotics cop than a Fed. But it was his eyes that took Jim’s breath away was his eyes. They were a deep sparkling blue, so much warmer than the ice of his own eyes and there seemed to be a bottomless quality to them. He could zone in those eyes. Jim felt a longing for him that he hadn’t felt for anyone in a long time and it worried him.

“Jim,” Simon said gruffly, snapping him back to the present, “this is Agent Sandburg. Mr Sandburg this is Detective Ellison.” The two men shook hands and Blair felt heat diffuse throughout his entire body. By the end of this he was going to regret requesting to work with Ellison, the same voice as before warned him. Forcing himself to turn around, he picked up a pile of folders and handed them to Jim, _Detective Ellison_ , he reminded himself firmly.  
“That’s a copy of all we have on file about the Les Pauls, Trx and the crimes that we have been able to trace to them. Some we’ve been able to make arrests for and others… well, you know how it is.”

Simon stared at the man incredulously, and not so discreetly. Catching the look, Blair simply smiled at him.  
“I’ve always thought it helps when you have all the information.” It was unbelievable. All the other Feds they have been forced to work with had been secretive and uncooperative. It looked like they had finally found the exception to the rule, and if the look in Jim’s eyes when they shook hands was anything to go by, it looked like it would be the end of Jim’s loneliness.

Jim, however, was busy staring, without seeing, at the top of the folders, almost lost in the rich tones of the man’s voice. The sound of his voice practically painted the air in vibrant colours. His senses were singing in a way that they hadn’t done in years. It was amazing and under any other circumstances Jim would have tried to get to know the man better. As it was, the man was a Fed, and despite the fact that he appeared to be different to the rest of them, he was not going to let it deceive him. He felt a pang of loss at what could have been, but he roughly pushed it down. He had work to do.

“So far, we’ve found very little about this ‘Trx’, whoever he is, he’s been very clever at hiding his true identity, not that we have any hard evidence to arrest him with even if we did know who he was.” It seemed that Agent Sandburg would only pause for breath when he truly had to. “We know that about forty percent, if not more, of total crime in the States can be linked to the Les Pauls, even if we can’t tie them to the offence. Recently we’ve managed to infiltrate an agent into their midst and she believes that Trx will be in Cascade in the next week to oversee a series of general meetings being held by the gang. It is unlikely that he will be seen, as, from what our agent has gathered, he sends his dispensable assistants to conduct the meetings, although it is likely that he will be close by. And that’s where you come in Detective Ellison.” He paused as though gauging Jim’s reaction to the news. “We thought that with your experience in both Vice and Major Crimes, you would be the best man to help us.” He finished looking at Jim as if unsure as to whether he would accept the task.  
“To do what? Go undercover?” Jim asked, certain that there was an ulterior motive to the agent’s request but unable to put his finger on it.  
“Whatever you think is best.”

Sandburg definitely seemed willing to listen and act on Jim’s advice, but previous experiences had taught him to expect otherwise where the Federal Bureau were concerned.  
“I’ve got a meeting with an informant in half an hour. I’ll leave now to give you some time to think and to read that information. I’ll see you in the morning.” He nodded to each man in turn and left. Both men smiled as they watched the number of looks the long haired agent received as he walked out of the Bullpen.

“Well, that was… strange.” The Captain nodded in agreement with Jim’s assessment of the situation.  
“Do you think that we can trust him?” They both knew that things were rarely how they seemed.  
“My senses didn’t give me any reason to believe that he was lying to us. But my instinct says that there is something that he’s not telling us.” Jim relied on his gut feeling, and, more often than not, it paid off.  
“You’d best be getting on with reading those,” Simon indicated the folders still in Jim’s arms as he held the door open for his detective. “And, Jim, let me know if you find anything.”  
“Sir.”

Jim spent the rest of the day doing what his friend had told him to, looking over the information provided. The folder contained exactly what Agent Sandburg had already said, endless details of crimes and a selection of photos of masked members of the Les Pauls committing crimes on CCTV and pictures of suspected Les Pauls meetings. He was about to look at the next photo, when something caught his eye. A reflection of a woman in the window of the lowest floor. She was standing where she would have been unseen by the person taking the picture, but would have been seen by the gang. There was something familiar about her, like Jim had seen her somewhere before. He flipped back through the photos. There! In the window of the third floor, looking down at what was happening. Jim went through the rest of the pictures carefully and found her a total of fifteen times. He took them to the lab and asked for them to be enhanced before informing Simon of his discovery and going home.

Getting into bed, Jim expected the night to be like the previous one, full of pain and guilt. But instead a pair of beautiful blue eyes that offered him comfort and forgiveness filled his dreams. In his sleep, Jim smiled.

*

Blair’s eyes widened as he looked at each of the pictures in turn. For J… Detective Ellison to have been able to have seen this, without the enlargements, his sense of sight must be beyond what Blair had originally hypothesized about Sentinels. The anthropologist in him longed to run some tests, but they had a job to do.  
“I’ll send these along to my Captain, see if we have anything about her on file. Nice job Detective.”

Jim’s jaw almost hit the floor, not only had the agent acknowledged the work he had done, but, most shockingly of all, he hadn’t questioned how Jim had seen what he had. He caught Simon’s equally as dumbfounded expression over the agent’s shoulder and smiled. It seemed too straightforward. While this acceptance of his sight was going to make their job easier to do, it was adding to Jim’s worry of the agent’s true reasons for requesting to work with him.

“Depending upon the accuracy of the information I received yesterday, it would appear that Trx plans for the meetings to be held in a warehouse along the waterfront. Now, I know that’s not much to go on, but at least it’s a start.” Jim nodded his agreement,  
“So let’s start looking for possible meeting places.” The suggestion met with Simon’s approval and the two left.

It was a long and tiring search and by mid-afternoon the two were beginning to lose patience with their fruitless hunt. They had spent the day learning a little about each other, neither one willing to risk exposing themselves too much, but it felt like it could be the beginning of a friendship. Now, with only a few more possible locations left to search, they were looking forward to going home. The two were checking out the current warehouse when Jim heard footsteps approaching. Quickly, he motioned Blair behind a pile of crates near the rear exit.

The door banged open and the sound of four people entering filled the room. The thud of flesh hitting flesh echoed in the air.  
“You betrayed us,” a woman’s voice declared. A quick glance over the top of one of the crates revealed a man on his knees while the woman stood with her back to them, hand poised ready to strike him again. There were two others positioned near the door, their guns trained on the kneeling man. “You almost cost me everything.” Her hand once again swung through the air and connected resoundingly with the side of his face.

Jim could hear the other two whispering and dialled up his hearing in order to catch what they were saying.  
“He should have worked with Trx long enough by now to know that he shouldn’t have betrayed her.”  
“Yeah, she doesn’t take to kindly to that.” _She?_ Jim continued to listen to their conversation, hoping to glean more information.

He could feel someone rubbing his arm, while a voice near his ear whispered to him, hot breath washing over the side of his face. He blinked and looked into the relieved blue eyes of the agent. Sandburg smiled at him and slowly moved out of his personal space. How had he been able to bring him out of his zone? Jim wondered. It took hours for him to come out of them on his own, and the last person that had been able to bring him out was Caro. Jim closed his eyes against the brief pain, it shouldn’t still hurt this much.

The harsh ringing of Jim’s mobile phone penetrated the stillness and despite Jim’s quick efforts to silence the thing, they both knew that it was too late, which the rapidly approaching footfalls confirmed. Their only chance was to run for the rear door. It would, unfortunately, put them in the line of fire and there was no guarantee that the door would be unlocked. But it was better than staying there like sitting ducks.

Taking the chance and praying to whichever deity was listening, they ran. Bullets whizzed all around them. As Blair reached the door, Jim returned fire for the few seconds that the agent needed to get the door open, before they both ran for Jim’s F150.

It was only when they were safe inside the cab and heading away from the waterfront that Jim registered the smell of blood. Knowing that he was close to his Loft, Jim drove them there and ushered Blair up to his apartment. It wasn’t until they were there that Jim looked at the agent. There was a lot of blood on the side of his shirt, but from the rip in the shirt, Jim guessed that the bullet had caught him as it went past, rather than entering his body.

He gently guided Blair to one of the chairs, gesturing for him to sit, while he went to find the supplies he needed. Kneeling in front of the agent, he helped Blair remove his shirt and set to work on disinfecting the wound. While he worked, his mind was full of Carolyn’s last moments and knew just how easily the same thing could have happened just now. He realized just how simple it would be to lose Blair before he got to know him. And he didn’t want that, the clarity of his discovery hit him with such force that he didn’t want to wait anymore. Didn’t want to give fate the chance to take the man sitting before him away. And without thinking about what he was doing, his lips found Blair’s of their own volition.

Blair’s mouth moved under his, pressing back just as passionately. Jim’s hands moved up, caressing Blair’s back, until he cupped the back of Blair’s head. Opening his mouth, he began tracing the seam of Blair’s lips, urging the smaller man to grant him entrance. Blair’s hands began kneading Jim’s shoulders, as he did as encouraged and parted his lips. The first tentative touches of their tongues sent heat shooting through both of their bodies. Blair sucked Jim’s tongue into his mouth, before reluctantly breaking away for air.

Jim looked into Blair’s eyes and seeing an equal desire pooled there he allowed his hands to begin a trail down Blair’s body. He smiled as Blair jerked forward as the pads of his thumbs brushed against his nipples, one catching on the silver ring that was threaded there. Smiling wickedly, he leant forward and captured the pierced nipple in his mouth. Blair gasped and arched further towards the lightly sucking mouth. Jim bit down gently and used the distraction to trace further down Blair’s body, his hands coming to rest at the waistband of Blair’s trousers, silently asking permission to continue. Blair, beyond words, frantically nodded, wanting nothing more than for Jim to continue. He hooked his tongue through the nipple ring and tugged at the same time as he cupped Blair’s groin. The duel action tearing a wordless cry from Blair’s throat.

Seeing that Jim was far too over dressed, Blair decided to rectify the situation. Reaching out with unsteady hands Blair fumbled with Jim’s shirt buttons, growling when he couldn’t get them undone. The growl turned into a moan as Jim laughed at his frustration and the sound vibrated through his chest.

Pushing Jim’s head away from his chest, Blair slid forward, off the chair, to straddle Jim’s lap, immediately beginning to rock against him. Their mouths met in a deep kiss and this time Blair’s hands were steadier as he removed Jim’s shirt buttons from their holes. Pushing Jim’s shirt off of his shoulders, Blair allowed his hands to wander down the Sentinel’s chest, brushing against his nipples.

Jim’s hissed intake of air was enough to goad Blair into further action, rolling the hard peaks under his palms. Running his hands up Blair’s thighs, Jim once again claimed Blair’s lips, moaning into his mouth as those talented hands continued to play with his nipples.

Jim’s hands gripped Blair’s hips, urging a faster pace, almost losing himself within the sensations, not noticing the movement of one of Blair’s hands until it was pushing inside his trousers and wrapping around his cock.  
“Fuck yeah,” Jim murmured, arching as best he could into Blair’s grip.

Fleetingly Blair wondered what sex was like for a Sentinel, but it really was a passing thought as he became mesmerized but the sight of Jim’s features contorted with pleasure. He smiled, the man was truly beautiful.

Pinching Jim’s nipple with one hand, Blair twisted the wrist of his other. Jim’s eyes flew open, even though he had no recollection of closing them, and gasping he came into Blair’s hand.

Winding suddenly weak arms around Blair, Jim tenderly manoeuvred Blair so that he was lying on his back and began kissing his way down the stunning body below his. Reaching Blair’s navel, Jim, teasingly, started to dip his tongue in and out of the shallow indentation, using it as a distraction while he pushed Blair’s trousers and briefs down.

Blair screamed as he felt hot wetness engulf his cock. Jim laughed smugly and the vibrations shot straight through Blair, making him moan incoherently. Reaching down, Blair softly caressed Jim’s hair as he fought the desire to arch into the older man’s mouth.

Raising himself up onto his elbows, Blair gazed down at Jim, which proved to be his undoing. The sight was so highly erotic, he climaxed, a scream frozen in his throat. Crawling up Blair’s body, Jim kissed him soundly before pulling Blair into his arms and rolling them onto their sides.

They lay like that for a while, before climbing the stairs to Jim’s bedroom and continuing where they had left off.

*

They had a few hours before they were due at the station, so they were sitting together on the sofa, Blair leaning into Jim’s embrace.  
“Trx is a woman.”

Blair stared at Jim, shock colouring his features. Well, that would certainly explain why we haven’t been able to catch _him_ , he mused to himself. It would also explain why the same woman appeared in so many of the photos.  
“What makes you think that?” Jim cringed; this was the moment that he had been dreading.  
“I heard the other two speaking about Trx and how *she* doesn’t take too kindly to betrayal.” Jim looked away from Blair, not wanting to see the scepticism in those incredible blue eyes, fully expecting to be doubted, questioned or laughed at.  
“Right, then we should start trying to find out who the woman in the photos is.” Jim’s head shot up in disbelief, but before he could say a word, Blair claimed his lips. It was amazing that this man accepted his senses without question. A little too amazing in fact. The feeling of worry that had plagued him from the beginning of the assignment returned in full force.

Blair guessed what was wrong the moment Jim pulled away. He should have realised that his easy acceptance of Jim’s senses would have lead to the detective questioning his motives. He knew that it was time for him to explain, and this time it was his turn to look away.  
“I know you’re a Sentinel.” This was it. This simple sentence was potentially the end of their budding relationship, and in the short time that they had known each other, approximately two days, - _Christ, was it really that long ago? It feels like forever._ – Blair had found that he had really come to feel deeply towards Jim. Like he was drawn towards him for reasons he couldn’t explain. “I used to be an anthropology student until my stepfather demanded that I joined a branch of law enforcement. It was him that sent me the information on you. Before I left Rainer, I did a paper on Primitive Sentinels, it was using that that he guessed about you.”

So, once again Jim’s instinct had been right. The beautiful agent really did have an ulterior motive. Inside himself he began to once again build the walls around his heart as he listened to Blair’s gorgeous voice continue talking.  
“I’m sorry I wasn’t honest with you from the start but I did *not* plan this, us. This isn’t me using you to find out more about your senses or anything like that.” Blair’s heart was racing, but Jim wasn’t sure if that was through fear or because he was lying. There was only one way for him to tell if Blair was telling him the truth. He reached out and softly tilted Blair’s head so that they were looking into each other’s eyes.  
“Promise me that.” Jim’s voice held such a desperate hope that it pained Blair to hear it. From what he’d come to see of this man, he knew that Jim was strong, both physically and emotionally. To hear such pain within the man’s words and to know that he had put it there was heartbreaking.  
“I promise you.” Jim smiled, intensely relieved at the truth he saw within Blair’s eyes. Leaning down he sealed his lips over Blair’s.

“How did you know what to do to bring me out of my zone?” It was a question that Jim had been wanting to ask since the incident had occurred.  
“I have a monograph by Sir Richard Burton, explorer, not the actor. In it he hypothesises that it is the sense of touch that Guides use to bring their Sentinels out of a zone. I just went with that and what felt right. Why?” Ever since he had found Burton’s monograph Blair had been fascinated by the idea of humanity’s tribal protectors. To be speaking to a real Sentinel, his proverbial Holy Grail, about what his senses and experiences were like was mind blowing. Jim smiled bittersweetly, “The last person that was able to bring me out was my Guide, Carolyn.” Jim knew that the likely explanation for Blair being able to do what he did was that Blair was his Guide, but Jim couldn’t allow that to happen, couldn’t risk endangering Blair’s life.

Blair reached the same conclusion as Jim; however, he did not share Jim’s concerns about his own well-being.

Jim could see the idea forming in Blair’s eyes.  
“No.”  
“Why? I could help you! Maybe even save your life!”  
“It’s your life I’m saving!” Jim snapped and silence descended upon the Loft. Blair moved closer to Jim and cupped his head with both hands and gently stroked his thumbs along Jim’s cheekbones. In Blair’s eyes Jim could see the unasked question, he sighed and looked away.  
“During a joint operation with the FBI, me and Caro were staking out a drug deal when we were made.” Jim growled as he said the last, it was the Fed who had tipped off the perps.  
“All hell broke loose and I ended up zoning on the bullet that was coming towards me.” His voice broke and when he continued talking guilt dripped from every word. “She pushed me out of the way and took the bullet that was meant for me.” Tears slid down Jim’s cheeks and he closed his eyes. Blair pulled Jim tightly within his arms, just allowing the man to cry.  
“It was not your fault.” He whispered to the top of Jim’s head. His hands traced calming patterns over the older man’s back while pressing kisses into his hair.

Eventually Jim calmed and raised his head to smile at Blair apologetically. Placing a chaste kiss on Jim’s lips he once again whispered, “it wasn’t your fault.” In truth it was something that the older man had heard many times before from his friends, family and colleagues, he hadn’t thought they were right then and he didn’t think Blair was right now. Blair kissed his forehead gently, he could see that Jim didn’t believe him; it was something he would have to work to convince him of in the future, but now was not the time for that. He would also have to work to convince him of the fact that whether Jim liked it or not, Blair was his Guide and there was nothing he would be able to do about it. But he knew better than to push Jim on the issue right now. Instead they held each other until it was time for them to return to Cascade police station.

*

Waiting for them on Jim’s desk was a fax from Blair’s Captain. They had been unable to find out anything about the woman in the photos with the exception of her name – Aliye Batmaz. Reading the memo, things clicked into place for Jim. The reason she looked familiar was because he had been stationed with her when he was in the Army. She’d always been a bit of a wild card; the only thing that kept her within the boundaries of what the CO had said was her strict beliefs on loyalty. Given what he’d heard when they had discovered that Trx was a woman who did not forgive betrayal, it was more than likely that Aliye was Trx.

The understanding showed in Jim’s eyes and Blair asked him if he recognised the name. After telling Blair where he knew her from and his theory on her identity, Blair agreed.  
“If she’s in so many of the photographs of suspected meetings, and we know that she’s in Cascade, then maybe she’ll be conducting the meetings. The only reason we didn’t think that it would be Trx was because we thought that she was male, and so didn’t consider that it was Trx in the photos when you discovered her.” Blair suggested, and Jim had to admit that it did make a lot of sense.

So, that settled, all that remained was for them to make the arrest. It would be easier and less messy if they arrested Batmaz before she made it to the meeting, that way they could avoid heavy gunfire from the other members of the Les Pauls that were in attendance. The trick was finding her.

“Do you remember anything from yesterday that we could use to track her?” Blair asked hopefully, wondering if Jim’s enhanced senses had been able to gather information that he hadn’t been able to. Thinking hard, Jim managed to come up with one detail, which was highly unlikely to help them, but at this point anything was worth a try.  
“When she had her arm raised, ready to hit that man, I noticed that she was wearing a blue wrist band, like the ones that are given to you to show that you can enter a VIP area.” Blair nodded and turned back to the pile of digitally enlarged photos and handed them to Jim to see if Batmaz was wearing the wristband in those and if he could see what it said.

There was one where Batmaz’s arm was outstretched, the blue showing, dialling up his sight, Jim focused on the band. Blair stepped up behind him and placed his hand on the small of Jim’s back, grounding him.  
“Funeral for a Friend.” Blair smiled at the look of revolted confusion on Jim’s face as the older man clearly wondered why anyone would wear a wristband declaring such a sad event, glorifying in it.  
“It’s a band,” he sad, again smiling at the almost comical look on Jim’s face as understanding dawned on him. “They’re playing in Cascade today.”

They looked at each other, they knew that it was a long shot, but sometimes long shots paid off. They told Simon of their discovery, at Blair’s suggestion, which frankly once again amazed the detective and his captain, and upon gaining his approval of their plan, went off to, with any luck, arrest Batmaz.

*

Dialling down his sense of sound, Jim lead Blair into the club. The room was smoky and overcrowded, the music; well, noise in Jim’s opinion, blared around the room. It was like a rat’s nest of people. It was hopeless, even with his sentinel vision Jim doubted that he would be able to see her. Unconsciously, he reached out to touch Blair as he tried to pick individuals out of the crowd. Smiling at Jim’s action, Blair shifted closer and listened as the band played _Roses for the Dead_ , one of his favourite songs. Jim dipped his head and licked Blair’s ear before whispering,  
“Front, left.” The thrill that had run through Blair at the feel of Jim’s tongue was replaced by the thrill he felt before an arrest.

Pushing to the front of the mosh pit was hard and painful work. All around them bodies were jumping and moving to the music. Arms flailed, often connecting with another body, which would undoubtedly leave bruises. The smell was unbelievable; Jim grimaced and dialled that sense down as well.

Batmaz jumped as Blair’s hand landed on her shoulder. Seeing the badge on, what she assumed was, his companion’s belt, she pushed Blair into the crowd. Immediately the people in that vicinity began to push and fight. People all around them created a wide berth, not wanting to be dragged in. Using the fight as a distraction, Batmaz tried to make her way to the door by the edge of the pit.

She was desperate to get away, it was obvious, to her at least, that they had figured out who she was. After all, just because you’re paranoid, it doesn’t mean that they’re *not* out to get you. And to be honest, since she had formed the Les Pauls, she had been expecting this moment. In truth, what irritated her the most, was that the band was just starting to play _Bend Your Arms to Look Like Wings_ and she wanted to see the end, because it was amazing live.

Almost at the door, she found her way blocked by one of the bouncers. Nodding his thanks to the man, Jim caught the ‘cuffs that Blair tossed to him and arrested the struggling crime lord.

*

“It was what could have been the arrest of your career! It would have been great for the department! For the Bureau! But instead you just gave it to that detective! We did all the work behind the arrest! Months of it! It should have been our arrest!” Blair’s captain continued her tirade and Jim felt sorry for the poor Agent. From the sounds of what she had said earlier, when she had first found out that Jim had made the arrest, it wasn’t the first time that Blair had allowed someone else to make the arrest. And even though he should be used to Blair surprising him with the ways that were so different from all the other agents that he had worked with, it was still a shock every time Blair differed from the norm that he had come to expect.

Hearing Blair make his way back into Major Crimes, Jim quickly made himself look like he had been busy working, instead of using his senses to eavesdrop on Blair. The smile on the Agent’s face when he saw Jim clearly let him know that he had been caught red-eared.  
“She always give you a rough time like that?” He asked, not bothering to protest his innocence. Blair nodded as the door to Simon’s office opened and the man stepped out,  
“I’m so sick of Bureau politics. What the fuck does it matter who makes the arrest? As long as the criminal is taken off of our streets then what does it matter who makes the arrest?”

Simon had made it over to Jim’s desk in time to hear Blair’s miniature rant, a smile curving his lips as a plan formed in his head. He’d seen the two working together that day, the sly touches when they thought that no one was looking and the secret smiles. It was about time that Jim was happy and he felt that Blair was someone that he could really come to like. Now all he had to do was see to it that it was permanent, and hearing what Blair had said was to make it easier for him. Although, there was that pesky rule about partner fraternisation, but as long as they were not too obvious, and in this line of work, Simon doubted that they would be, then he was willing to overlook the rule to see his friends happy.  
“Well, if ever you fancy a change and getting away from that politics, then Detective Ellison here is looking for a permanent official partner.” Blair blinked and tried to digest the information. It was a rarity for the two other men, who had only known Blair for a short space of time, but expected his talkativeness to be the norm, to see him so speechless.

“I take it from your silence that you accept Simon’s offer. Come on, how about it Chief?” Jim knew that if Blair chose to stay with Major Crimes he would force Jim to accept the fact that he was his Guide. And in his heart, which was already falling hard for the exuberant young man, he knew that he did want him as his Guide, his work partner and his life partner.  
“Yes.” Jim let out the breath that he hadn’t realised that he had been holding and smiled. Outrageously pleased that Blair had chosen to work with him.

“Great, welcome to the department,” they all knew that it wasn’t quite that simple, but give it a few months and it would be official. “Now go and celebrate the end of your case,” Simon said with a smile.

*

Upon entering Jim’s loft, Jim pinned Blair up against the door and began to kiss him, his tongue slipping past Blair’s lips into a mouth that he was rapidly becoming addicted to. Moaning, Blair wrapped his legs around Jim’s waist, pressing their lower bodies together.

Jim’s hands roamed down Blair’s body, playing with his nipples through the thick material of his shirt, making Blair arch further towards him and causing them both to cry out at the pleasure.

Carefully de-tangling Blair, but keeping him pressed close to his body, Jim crossed the loft and began to ascend the stairs. Stopping every so often when Blair claimed his lips and he became otherwise distracted by the hot tongue duelling with his own.

He laid Blair out on the bed and followed him down onto it, rocking their groins together. Twin groans escaped their throats at the torturous sensations shooting through them. Reaching out, Blair blindly groped on the bedside cabinet for the lube. He pressed it into Jim’s hand,  
“I want you inside me,” he moaned. Jim froze, desperately trying to control his body’s reaction to the huskily voiced request.

Agonisingly slowly, Jim removed Blair’s clothing, kissing each piece of skin as it was revealed. He felt that he could come to worship the smaller man. His teasing of Blair had pushed himself to the limit as well, and as a result his own clothes were shed a lot faster.

Feeling Jim’s fingers at his entrance, Blair wriggled impatiently, trying to encourage Jim to increase his pace, moaning quietly when a second finger was added. Finally his limited control snapped and he reached down and still Jim’s hand.  
“You, not your fingers. Just you.” Jim groaned and did as he was bid. Gasping as he was stretched, Blair arched upwards, silently asking for more. Turning his head to the side, he met Jim’s lips in a deep forceful kiss, Jim’s tongue mimicking his lower body.

“Yeah, just like that,” Jim murmured as Blair began to rhythmically clench around him. His thrusts became more erratic as Blair pushed him closer and closer to the edge.

“Deeper. God, deeper please.” Blair moaned, spreading his legs impossibly wider, screaming when Jim gave him exactly what he asked for.

It was amazing, the speed at which they were falling for each other. But the fact remained that they did love each other and Jim hoped that they would spend the rest of their lives together. He didn’t think he would be able to live without Blair. And, he knew that he had only known Blair for a grand total of three days, but it felt longer than that. Deep within himself, he knew that this was right.

Aware that he wasn’t going to last much longer and determined to bring Blair over the edge with him, he reached down and pumped Blair in time with his thrusts.

It didn’t take much before Blair was screaming his name. The internal shudders of Blair’s body tipped him over the edge as well.

They lay wrapt together in Jim’s bed, Blair’s head tucked under Jim’s head. Exhausted from an eventful day, the two found sleep fairly quickly. Slowly, the moon descended and the sun rose, signalling a new day in Cascade. And the first day of the rest of their lives together.


End file.
